John Branyan's Comedy Sojourn Podcast

Peaches Gets Blocked on Facebook AGAIN

THIS EPISODE - Peaches Gets Blocked By Her Former Youth
Minister on Facebook!

It took me awhile to decide what to do with this podcast.
I wasn't going to use it. I'm still not sure I should use
it...

Bottom line: I'm doing exactly what I would want to be done to
me. When I say ANYTHING on the internet I'm accountable for
it. I am open to criticism. I expect to be held accountable.

Uncle David joins us on the podcast because, why not? He
was already in the room. Mandy tells us how she managed to
get herself shunned on social media...AGAIN. At this rate,
Pkarlgh, it's just gonna be you and Mandy on the podcast.
(I'm thinking about blocking her myself.)

We'll explain the situation that leads up to the shunning.
It goes back a few weeks to the "Nashville Statement".
We talked about it on a previous episode. Some people think
it hinders conversation. We disagree.

(Cami, Collin, and Emmi are kind of noisy in this
episode...but we've learned to tune that out by now, haven't
we?)

When you're enjoying an argument, it's a problem. It's
also a problem when you won't speak the truth because you're afraid
of argument. Christians need to talk to each other.
Misunderstandings happen. Mistakes happen. We gotta talk about
stuff!

Senior pastors are not perfect. Sometimes they say wrong
things. It isn't the end of the world when the pastor makes a
mistake. But it's NOT GOOD when we can't discuss that
mistake. It's possible the mistake isn't actually a
mistake...we won't know if we don't talk.

The problematic quote was:

"It's not every church that - in the weeks following the
pastor announcing he's heading towards divorce - sees an increase
in attendance, giving, hundreds sign up for life groups and service
opportunities, and 13 people baptized into Jesus. I love when the
evil one is made a fool by God's goodness!"

After reaching out to discuss the topic, we were gonna let it
drop. No problem. You don't want to talk about it, we won't talk
about it.

Peaches uses the word "interesting" in this version of her
story...but I recall a different word. Maybe I'm
wrong...

Do you think the Holy Spirit sometimes tells us not to talk to
each other? Maybe.

Do you think we should write blogs about each other when the
Holy Spirit tells us not to talk to each other? Well...

NOTICE: Anybody who is worried about "destroying" the Peaches
with angry words...quit worrying. She's bulletproof. Any
criticism is welcome and encouraged.

We had to record a new podcast because the story is unfolding.
We've wrestled with the proper response to use. (By 'we', I
mean 'me'. Not Peaches.)

I sent a letter to Ryan. I do not have anything personal
against him. In fact, I think he is sincerely doing what he thinks
is right. Let's be clear. This isn't personal. It's about a
disagreement on protocol.

It's unlikely that my tiny podcast is going to damage the
ministry of a mega-pastor. The goal is not to cause harm. We
sincerely believe that criticism, done properly, is edification.
Proper criticism makes us better.

My brother makes an amazing comment about how his divorce
affected the way he uses an ATM machine.

I make a lawnmower analogy. It seems impressive to me.
I'm not sure the other two appreciated how brilliant it was.

Peaches tells about her toilet paper breakdown.

What we're trying to say is, it's okay to need some downtime
before diving into a dialogue. Take a breath. Dry your tears.
Get a grip. It's okay!

...but...eventually...you need to own your mistakes and
misunderstandings.

David makes a septic tank analogy. I think
my lawnmower analogy was better...

Perhaps we can learn from people who are masters at dealing
with 'bullys'. When you refuse to be bullied, you free
yourself from a lot of stress.

It's "interesting" how uncomfortable we get when someone hits
us with the truth. I'm guilty myself. I prefer denial too
frequently.

Mandy tells one of the funniest stories I've ever heard about
shutting down bullies.

About the Podcast

"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day." - E.B. White